Juventus fire coach Allegri over behaviour in Italian Cup final

Juventus fired coach Massimiliano Allegri for his actions during and after this week's Coppa Italia final, in which he was sent off, the Italian Serie A club announced on Friday.

Juventus defeated Atalanta 1-0 on Wednesday to win a record-extending 15th Coppa Italia, their first trophy in three years.

Allegri was sent off near the end of the game for his vehement protests against referee decisions.

According to Italian media, the 56-year-old had an altercation with match officials, Juventus staff, and a newspaper director following the game.

"Juventus announces that it has relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his position as head coach of the men's first team," the club said in a statement.

"The dismissal follows certain behaviour during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and the behaviour that those who represent it should have."

The Italian football federation is investigating the events surrounding the Cup final.

"We can confirm that an investigation on incident (that) happened during the Coppa Italia Final, in which ... Allegri and Tuttosport newspaper's director Guido Vaciago were involved, is in due course amongst the FIGC's Prosecutor Office," FIGC said in a statement.

Allegri took over as coach of the Turin club in 2014 and led it for five seasons before returning in 2021 after a two-year absence from management.

During his first stint, Juve won five consecutive Serie A titles and four Italian Cups.

They also finished as Champions League runners-up twice, in 2014-15 and 2016-17.

Allegri's second spell in charge was less successful, and it was marred by a financial scandal in which Juventus lost 10 points near the end of the 2022-23 season in a case involving their transfer dealings.

Juve were barred from competing in any European competitions after qualifying for the third-tier Europa Conference League playoffs rather than the Champions League due to violations of UEFA's Club Licencing and Financial Fair Play rules.

SportsLigue